Prince Charles honors ‘dear papa’ Prince Philip

Prince Charles honored his later father Philip, who he called “dear papa” in remarks following his death. 

“As you can imagine, my family and I miss my father enormously,” Charles, Queen Elizabeth’s eldest son and heir to the throne, said outside his home in England, Reuters reported. 

Charles added “my dear papa was a very special person who I think above all else would have been amazed by the reaction and the touching things that have been said about him and from that point of view we are, my family, deeply grateful for all that.

The prince said Philip’s death will “sustain us in this particular loss and at this particularly sad time.”

Upon the announcement of Philip’s death Friday morning, well wishes for the Royal Family poured in from across the globe. 

“From his service during World War II, to his 73 years alongside the Queen, and his entire life in the public eye — Prince Philip gladly dedicated himself to the people of the UK, the Commonwealth, and to his family,” President Biden said in a statement. 

Former President Trump called Philip “irreplaceable.” 

“He personified the quiet reserve, stern fortitude, and unbending integrity of the United Kingdom,” Trump said in his own statement. “His exceptional example of service, constancy, and patriotism will be his greatest legacy.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the nation was grieving following Philip’s passing. 

“Our thoughts are with Her Majesty and her family who have not lost just a much-loved and highly respected public figure, but a devoted husband and a proud and loving father, grandfather and great-grandfather,” Johnson said. 

Buckingham Palace said this weekend Philip’s memorial services will have to be significantly scaled down due to public health restrictions stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.